Russia, Ukraine and the European Commission on Thursday signed a binding protocol on the conditions of resumption of the supply of Russian gas to Ukraine for the period until late March 2015. Source: AFP / East News

RBTH presents a selection of views from leading Russian media on international events, featuring reports on the signing by Russia, Ukraine and the EU of an agreement on the renewal of gas supplies to Ukraine, as well as analysis of a dispute between Kiev and the self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine over the legitimacy of election dates.

Gazeta.ru reports that after lengthy negotiations
Russia, the EU and Ukraine have finally signed the documents concerning the
renewal of Russian gas supplies to Ukraine. According to the agreements, Moscow
will offer Kiev a $100 discount per 1,000 cubic meters, but it will last only
until the end of the first quarter of 2015. Citing Russian Energy Minister
Alexander Novak, the publication writes that the discount will be provided at
the expense of canceling the export duty, and purchases will be made on the
conditions of prepayment and debt restructuring.

Gazeta.ru reminds its readers that Russia had
already proposed to Kiev to reduce the gas price at the expense of export duty at
the beginning of the summer, but the Ukrainian government refused, calling the proposal
a "trap".

The publication believes that back then Ukraine was afraid
that Russia would cancel the discount. As of today, the enactment of the
agreement is compulsory, also for the EU. Under the document, Ukraine also
undertook to partially pay off its debt with Gazprom. Kiev had earlier said on
several occasions that the Ukrainian budget has reserved $3.1 billion for this
purpose.

Despite the fact that Europe has promised to
support Ukraine financially, so far this has not been officially documented,
according to the publication. Nevertheless, Russia says that it trusts its
partners.

Gazeta.ru underlines, however, that even if the sides manage to get through
the winter period, in April the confrontation will emerge anew, since the new
agreement basically guarantees supplies of fuel only until the end of March.

The Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper quotes Russian
Energy Minister Alexander Novak on the gas agreements with Ukraine: "We
were able to come to an agreement on basic terms for supplies in the winter
period from November to March and to preserve all the positions that we had
declared earlier," he said.

The minister says that Ukraine agreed to partially
pay off its debt, which was accumulated in November-December 2013 and in April,
May and June 2014, at a total of $3.1 billion.

The first $1.45 billion may already be paid off in
the upcoming days before the renewal of supplies, and the other $1.6 billion by
the end of the year. Novak added that, considering Ukraine's difficult
situation, Russia is willing to give it a $100 discount on the price
established in the 2009 contract. "This is our contribution to the
regulation of the gas dispute and to Ukraine's economy," said the
minister.

The agreement reached during the negotiations must
be fixed in three documents. These are: the additional agreement to the
existing contract; the protocol between Russia, Ukraine and the EU Commission;
and the protocol between Ukraine and the EU Commission, which will include the
financial guarantees.

As soon as Russia receives the money, it will
resume supplies. In November-December Ukraine intends to buy 4 billion cubic
meters of gas. "Kiev has confirmed that it possesses the funds necessary
to pay for this quantity," said Novak.

The Kommersant daily writes that Moscow and the
Donbass militias are still arguing with Kiev and the West about the legitimacy
of holding elections in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people’s
republics in eastern Ukraine on Nov. 2. According to Ukrainian President Petro
Poroshenko's law "On the special order of local self-government in the
separate neighborhoods of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions," the elections
must be held on Dec. 7. That is why, the newspaper explains, the EU, the U.S.
and the UN consider the Nov. 2 elections illegitimate.

Nevertheless, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov has announced that Moscow would recognize the results of the elections
in the republics. The Foreign Affairs Ministry has told Kommersant that in
accordance with the Minsk Agreements signed by the president of Ukraine, the
militias, Russia and OSCE, the elections "should be held in the period
between Oct. 19 and Nov. 3."

Moreover, neither the Minsk Protocol of Sept.
5, nor the subsequent memorandum of Sept. 19 mentions anything about possible
dates for holding the elections. According to three Kommersant sources in
Russia's government organs, an amendment was attached to the memorandum, which
was not published. This amendment includes the interval in which the Donbass
elections must be held, and Nov. 2 falls into this period.

Andrei Purgin, deputy prime minister of the Donetsk
People’s Republic, confirmed the existence of the unpublished amendment to the
Minsk Agreements, while President of Ukraine's Council of National Security and
Defense Andrei Lysenko denied it. Meanwhile, Spokeswoman for the EU Foreign
Service Maya Kosyanchich told Kommersant that Brussels "has not been
informed about any secret amendment" to the agreements.